Before Grenfell, Fire; Safety and Deregulation in Twentieth-Century Britain

Author

Ewen; Shane

Year

2023

Publisher

University of London Press

Language

English

Pages

ISBN

978-1-91447-725-6

Link

Last Update

01-Aug-2026

Keywords

History ; Public Policy & Administration ; Urban Studies ; Architecture & Architectural History

Description

his report of a fire without serious casualties at Grenfell Tower in June 1979 assumes an entirely new and frightening meaning in the context of the tragic events of 14 June 2017, when a horrific cladding fire at the same tower caused the deaths of seventy-two people. Tucked into a folder of newspaper cuttings in the archives of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC), the article flags up significant issues for our understanding of the Grenfell disaster: the need for good design, building control and management of higher-risk residential buildings (HRRBs); the responsibility of politicians, architects and emergency services to...